ALA-Office for Diversity-Gone but Not Forgotten

The ALA Office for Diversity was merged with the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services in 2015 to become the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services.

The Office for Diversity existed as a stand alone initiative of the ALA from 1998-2015.

• Sandra Rios Balderrama was ALA's first director of the Office for Diversity. She began at ALA in January 1998. She served until 2002.
• Read the interview upon her departure in  2002: "Diversity officer says farewell." American Libraries 33, no. 8 (September 2002).

• Tracie D. Hall

• Karen M. Brown Letarte, an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe,  Director, ALA Office for Diversity, effective 4 September 2007.

• Gwendolyn Prellwitz- Interim director, 2007-2009.

•  From 2009 to 2012, Miguel A. Figueroa served as Director of the Office for Diversity and Spectrum Scholarship Program and the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services .

• Mary Ghikas-Interim director of both Offices. 2012-2013.

• Michelle Harrell Washington. Office for Diversity and Spectrum Scholarship Program and the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services . 2013-March 2015.

• Gwendolyn Prellwitz- Interim director of  both Offices. 2015-

Below is a screen capture for the ALA Office for Diversity. It was still on the ALA website in May 2015 but links go 404.

Office for Diversity

One of fifteen offices within the American Library Association, we serve as a key resource and link to the professional issues which speak to diversity as a fundamental value and action area of the association. The Office for Diversity serves as the liaison to the Committee on Diversity and its subcommittees.  Additionally, this office administers Spectrum, a scholarship program designed to improve library service through the development of an ethnically diverse workforce. Explore the links on the left and the Office Highlights section below to learn more about our Office and the resources available on this site.

Diversity

• Committee on Diversity
• Spectrum
• Diversity Resources
• Diversity Online
• Diversity Statistics
• Diversity Articles & Publications
• Diversity Leadership Institutes
• Diversity Research Grants
• Student Resources
• OFD Programs & Events
• OFD Consulting Services
• OFD Merchandise
• Versed Diversity Bulletin
• About Us

Diversity Counts - ALA Releases National Study of Diversity in Library Workforce

The American Library Association (ALA) has released "Diversity Counts," a comprehensive study of gender, race and age in the library profession.  The study was conducted by the ALA Office for Research & Statistics, ALA Office for Diversity and Decision Demographics, a research firm based in Arlington, Va. and confirms the need for continued recruitment of people of color. "This study is a call to action for the profession," said ALA President-Elect Loriene Roy. "While we have made progress, the findings confirm the need to commit additional time and financial resources to recruit a more diverse workforce. If libraries are to remain relevant to all of our users, our staffs must reflect our country's demographics."  Review the findings at www.ala.org/diversitycounts.

Contact Us

Learn more about the Office for Diversity staff by visiting our About Us page.

For questions about information appearing on this web page or for more information on any of the Office for Diversity programs, please direct comments to diversity@ala.org!

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© 2015 American Library Association